Make your own remote-controlled floor cleaner machine from scrap

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Need a hand while cleaning your floors at home? Then instead of forking out for an expensive drone, why not make one from scratch? 

Follow this guide to find out how. 

As you can imagine, you'll need some tools and materials before you get started.

Materials and gear needed

• Plastic container
• Plastic bottle
• 7 no. 12v DC motor
• Sponge wipes
• Assorted small bore plastic pipes, elbows, valves, caps, etc
• 1 regular scouring pad
• 2 no. PC cabinet fans
• Pushbuttons
• Hot glue gun
• Soldering kit
• Electrical wires, resistors, and soldering gear
• 4 no. small trolley wheels
• Various nuts and bolts
• Basic tools (wrench, screwdrivers, etc)

With all your gear in hand, it is time to get on with this great little build.

Step 1: Prepare the main body of the floor cleaner

The first step is to take your plastic container and mark out a rectangle 5 and 33/64 inches (14 cm) by 2 and 3/4 inches (7 cm) to one edge on the base. Then, using a soldering iron, melt some holes through the base of the container and sides, as shown in the video.

You'll need three on the bottom and two on each of the opposing longers edges of the container. Ensure the holes are large enough to house the rotors of the DC motors. 

With that done, cut out the rectangle using a sharp knife or scalpel. 

Step 2: Add in the floor cleaner electronics and floor-side apparatus

Next, take your motors, and insert one into each of the four holes on the sides of the container. Secure the motors into place using matching nuts. Next, take your last three motors, and insert them into the three holes in the base of the plastic container. 

Secure these into place too. 

With that done, take your trolley wheels and mount them to the side motor rotors. Next, take your PC fans, and glue them into place side by side on the inside of the container above the rectangle you cut out earlier. 

With that done, draw and cut out two circles 4 and 23/32 inches (12 cm) in diameter from some chipboard or toughened cardboard. Drill a hole through the very center of each disc.

Then take your sponge wipes and cut out matching circles of the wipes to affix to each disc. 

Glue the cardboard/chipboard discs to the circles of sponge wipes as needed. With that done, affix the sponge wipe discs to the rearmost motor rotors on the underside of the floor cleaner machine. 

Next, take your scouring pad, and glue it to the last exposed motor rotor on the underside of the machine. 

Step 3: Wire up the electronics

With that done, it is now time to wire up everything to get it working. Take the wires from the motors, and braid them together to make seven separate braided cords. Then, twist together the positive and negative wires of each wheelset of motors, and the fans/central floor cleaning apparatus as shown in the video. 

This should leave you with three main bundles of wires. With that done, take some more lengths of wire, and extend each of the positive and negative "terminals" of each wire bundle.

Twist these extension wires together into one larger wire bundle and feed it through the last hole at the rear of the remote floor cleaner. Then close up the electronics using the plastic container's lid.

Step 4: Make the water carrying components

Next, take your plastic pipe valve, elbows, lengths of piping, closing caps, and nuts. Drill a series of holes through the longer lengths of pipe. 

Connect the pieces together to make a T-shape with the valve in the center as shown above.

With that done, take another small plastic container and melt some more holes through its walls as shown. Insert and seal your T-shape piping into the hole as shown to make a water tank and dispenser.

Affix this water tank to the top of the floor cleaner.

Step 5: Make the remote control and finish the machine

Next, take your small pillbox-type box, cut holes for the switches, and wire them up as needed. Next, add in a power adaptor connector and wire to the switches, and the main control wires from the cleaning machine. 

Wire them all up as shown in the video. 

With that, connect an appropriate power supply, flick on the switches of your remote, and put your new cleaning machine to work.

If you enjoyed this little project, you might enjoy making another remote-controlled device? How about, for example, a remote firework launcher?